Slouch
by Jim Earle
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SOCIETY
JIM
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c^rio-79
“I think they have stumbled onto a way of picking up
attendence.”
Opinion
Uncaring teachers
don’t really teach
Teachers can be classified in categories of those who care
and those who don’t.
It’s easy to spot the ones who care. They might not be
the most popular profs, but they’re always on time for class
and they usually hold class for the entire 50 minutes. They
follow a syllabus and plan lectures ahead of time.
They pay attention to student feedback and try to give
their students some idea of what is expected of them. Ex
aminations are carefully prepared.
Profs who don’t care, on the other hand, find excuses for
being late for class, or not showing up at all. When they do
hold class, they lecture straight from the book or right off
the top of their heads.
Teachers who don’t care spend little time preparing ex
aminations. They use last year’s tests, preferably multiple
choice, which can be graded with a minimum of effort and
thought (usually by an assistant).
One particular uncaring professor at Texas A&M Univer
sity is easily spotted. He did not show up for the second
class of the semester, admitting at the following class meet
ing that he had no excuse. He just didn’t want to come to
class.
When his students came to class last Tuesday, prepared
to take an examination, he waltzed in and began lecturing.
A member of the bewildered group asked him about the
test.
“I didn’t feel like making one up,” the prof replied. He
rescheduled the test for the next class period, and relied on
multiple choice questions submitted by the students them
selves.
If students take the trouble to study for a test, the least a
teacher can do is have one prepared to give the day he
scheduled it.
the small society
by Brickman
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The Battalion
U S P S 045 360
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Focus Editors Beth Calhoun and
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Staff Writers Meril Edwards, Nancy
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Opinions expressed in The Battalion are
those of the editor or of the writer of the
article and are not necessarily those of the
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Regents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-
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Editorial policy is determined by the editor.
Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Broder
House should not be frustrated
in attempt to curb interest groups
By <
He put
ip a paintl
ng with ai
By DAVID S. BRODER
WASHINGTON — There are no more
loaded words in the current political lexi
con than “special-interest group’ or
“single-interest lobby.” Journalists and
politicians who want to dispose of a
viewpoint, without the bother of argu
ment, just slap one of those labels on the
adherents of that view and sit back
smugly, wrapped in their own cloak of
virtue.
A “special-interest” or “single-interest”
group is, in feet, nothing more than a col
lection of individuals concerned about a
particular policy of the government,
whether it is peace or arms, pollution or
procreation. Anyone who understands and
values American pluralism is bound to ac
knowledge the legitimacy of interest-
group representation as part of the politi
cal and governmental process.
Yet, it is impossible to have followed the
debate in the House of Representatives
earlier this month on interest-group cam
paign contributions without recognizing
the seriousness of the concern office
holders have over the growing role of
these groups in financing congressional
campaigns.
Encouraged by legislative actions and
administrative rulings, the interest-group
political-action committees (or PACs) have
mushroomed in number, assets and politi
cal influence in the last few years. The
number of PACs has almost quadrupled
since 1972 and the share of House cam
paign funds provided by them has almost
doubled. In 1978, one of every three dol
lars contributed to incumbent House
members came from the corporate, pro
fessional, trade association, labor or
ideological PACs.
Defenders of the PACs, like Rep.
Robert E. Bauman (R-Md.), see them as
“one of the most successful vehicles avail
able for increasing public participation in
the election process.” But, convenient as
they may be for the individual, cause-
minded giver, there is no doubt that the
PACs, as a group, are what Rep. David R.
Obey (D-Wisc.) called them: a “centrifugal
force” tugging congressmen toward nar
rowly defined objectives and impeding the
process of legislative accommodation by
which the House must operate, if it is to
function effectively at all.
Obey and Rep. Tom Railsback (R-Ill.),
two of the most respected members of the
House, offered a bipartisan bill aimed at
reducing the influence of the interest-
group PACs. It would reduce the
maximum allowable contribution from any
PAC to a House candidate from $10,000 to
$6,000. It also would impose, for the first
time, a $70,000 ceiling on all PAC con
tributions a single candidate could accept.
After spirited, intellgent debate, the
House passed the Obey-Railsback propo
sal by a very close 217-198 margin.
The opponents — mainly Republicans
— offered some telling arguments against
it. House minority leader John J. Rhodes
(R-Ariz.) said it was “nothing but an in
cumbents’ protection bill,” a view which
was inadvertently underlined by a rather
blatant appeal from speaker Thomas P.
(Tip) O’Neill to Democratic incumbents to
consider their own interest in limiting
PAC contributions to challengers.
Rhodes’ argument — amplified by Rep.
Bill Frenzel (R-Minn.) and others — was
that, while most PAC money goes to in
cumbents, such contributions are a critical
element in the budgets of many challen
gers. He believes that limiting the PAC
may damage the challengers’ chances of
gaining voter recognition and thus reduce
the competitiveness of congressional cam
paigns.
A particularly telling criticism was of
fered by Rep. Carroll A. Campbell Jr. (R-
S.C.). He observed that the Obey-
Railsback bill would cut the overall finan
cial resources available for congressional
campaigns at a time when serious inde
pendent studies clearly suggest that most
House races are already underfinanced for
the task of informing and motivating po
tential voters.
Rfryan
o|nson, C
Campbell asked an importan^&M Ur
when he inquired why sponsors wished ^
“Let us raise the amount parties n edicine 1
and cut back PACs.” Pr ^ ee
The reason, quite evidently, i n d I acc
publicans do more effective p.Jnited St£
raising than Democrats, and future —£
party was not prepared to lettljit time,
tion profit fully from that advantfe' ^d d
Conceding all these valid c a P
however, it is worth notingMAs I n
House, after full debate, did passfif’-he hu:
with two dozen Republicans pros ' 0 *whe
critical margin of votes, andatlef^ 11 * h wc
cumbents who had received oveIff n £ e; 1 '
in PAC contributions agreeing t ; fl| anc f al
contributions should be limited. ^ 1
The House, as an institution,® 1011 ’.. ^
considered decision to slow the L
influence of the interest-group ® ctlce or
House campaigns. Ironically, ever,® 11 * to
the bill as written does not affect® P iac . tic
campaigns at all, there is a likelih® rea<1 y
Senate filibuster being organizeds*; 1 ^ we :
be conservative Republicans. ! "
That is no way to resolve " l
issues, seriously weighed by the
its decision. Whether $ a
vindicate its judgment or not, theE s '|
majority should not lie frustrated!T ,U c
. . «urse I v
nate minority. ■“ i
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Letters
Student says $5-per-gallon tax idea
is an ‘incredibly sound suggestion
Editor:
I realize that letters to the Battalion do
not usually concern extra-campus matters,
but I should like to point out something
encouraging in the national economic pic
ture.
In the upper left hand corner of page
11 A, Houston Post, Oct. 30, I noticed a
call by J.K. Galbraith for a $4 - $5 per
gallon tax, at the pump, on gasoline.
Bravo! Finally an intelligent economist
makes an incredibly sound suggestion for
cutting consumption of this too-precious
resource!
Indeed, I shall be happy to ride any bike
(except in the rain) 3.5 miles to campus
when there are fewer large, smelly and
menacing gas-guzzelers hurtling up and
down Wellborn Road. My goodness, if
people don’t like to pay $6 a gallon for gas,
they may even walk two or three blocks to
the store!
Oh yes, and another thing. Don’t think
that I’m personally opposed to huge
motors and blinding speed, I just think
that folks who like that sort of stuff should
pay for it. The price is usually steep for
living in the past.
Since economist coercion is the only
pressure that people really understand,
it’s about time we started paying for how
nice we’ve had it for the past 50 years. A
little suffering builds character. Anyway,
we needn’t fear that the $5 tax will pass. It
would be prohibitively unpopular with the
mass of people, who can’t imagine that
things can be any other way.
— R.H. Reviere
and could be 5-1 or even 6-0 with a few
breaks. The whole team works hard in
practice and puts out 100 percent to 110
percent on Saturdays, then reads the Batt
where they are put down by the Vi percent
who probably didn’t even see the game. I
can imagine how Green, Zachery, Mosley
and the other players feel after reading
those letters.
I have attended Aggie games since 1938
and well remember Bear Bryant’s first sea
son at A&M (1-10). The same critical Vi
percent were yelling for his scalp, too. Just
this week some t.u. exes wanted Coach
Akers fired.
To Coach Wilson and all the Aggie foot
ball team — thank you.
— Jack Kingsbery, ’45
No service, respect
Editor:
First let me state that I’m a firm be
liever in capitalism, so as not to generate a
wrong impression.
My gripe is with the apartment situation
in Bryan/College Station. Never in my 23
years of existence have I ever been so frus
trated and angry. Let me state that this
letter is being written from personal ex
perience.
I have lived in three different complexes
and have yet to receive the benefits of liv
ing in a $225 - $280 apartment. It seems
that the owners/management of these
complexes are ignorant as to what consti
tutes good service. One example of this
shoddy service: four-wheel drive parking
lots. Yes that’s what the occupant needed
at this establishment. The holes and cre
vices in the pavement were so bad that it
was a favorite mud hole for youngsters in
the neighborhood. Result: it wasn’t re
paired and rent was raised $35 for in
creased maintenance costs.
The most frustrating thing of all is what
happens when I complain. I am usually
told one of the following: We are working
on it (reasonable sounding, but after nine
months!), or if you don’t like it, move!
The great thing about capitalism is com
petition and its outgrowth, service and
quality. These two fectors seem to be miss
ing in this area. I have a theory why. The
owner/manager feels that college students
are nomadic, here for a semester at a time.
True, but we are still paying for the
apartment, and therefore entitled to all
the required service and respect of a pay-
“S<
ked to i
d devel
■rtise. f
jk — if
e on hi
[ohnsor
t he a
„
uckF 1 -
ing customer.
I think it’s about time we sti*—_
manded service and respect. If eveFueks Ur
complained to their respective nia® It s a
at the same time, we might get soiM 0r ganizati
done. ernment
Figuring $250 a month, nine moi®en don;
year, times four years you come up#0 purcha
sum of $9,000. This seems a littleUnit
slum-like conditions. glexico ft
— James BrotherWaterfowl
fit from it
$25 reward
He sail
veen his
“The t)
0n ly avail
Editor:
This past Sunday evening, Oct. 21
roommate and myself went to the
mid played several of the coin-op!
machines. In my jubilation at havin|
aten my roommate, I left my senioi
on the basketball machine. I d taken
to play, and left it.
Someone has picked it up and li
preciate its return. There’s a $25 re*
no questions asked.
Thank you.
— Harold W. Scheffei
THOXZ
by Doug Grahaf (
Alum thanks team
Editor:
I am dam proud of our Aggie football
team. Coach Wilson and his staff. I am not
very proud of the few so-called Aggies (J.
Bames ’64 is not listed in the Directory of
Former Students). Even the Batt editor
had to put in his critical two cents by
“amen-ing” a letter knocking the team and
coaches.
The Aggies have played good, solid ball